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Sad news from the vet for Jezzy floof :(

PigglePuggle

PigglePuggle

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Old lady Jezzy floof just got back from her vet check and its sad news... the vet did a conscious ultrasound on her tummy because it seemed a bit swollen and she's been a bit wee soaked and grumpy lately... poor old Jezzy probably has liver failure, her liver is very enlarged and her tummy is full of fluid which is a classic sign of liver failure and probably where all the extra wee is coming from :(
Poor old floofy girl, she still seems cheerful for now and is eating well but it's probably just a matter of time before her liver shuts down and also her kidneys peeing out all the fluid build up...
Now the vet has shaved her tummy you can see how swollen she looks, she's always had a big tummy and I did wonder if she might have an ovarian cyst or something operable, but sadly not- palliative care only, the vet was very definite, there's nothing to be done :(
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I'm so sorry it's not good news :( liver failure is no way to go, especially for such a princess. Did the vet have any on how long she has?
 
Oh no. I’m so sorry it wasn’t better news. Big hugs to you xx
 
Thanks everyone for your support, I wish I had more info on exactly what is going on with Jezzy but our vet consultations are still dropping piggy at the door then speaking to the vet in the car park and I assumed this was a routine old lady health check and sent piggy daddy who doesnt ask the same questions that I would!
I think the diagnosis and prognosis are still quite vague in that measuring liver function properly needs blood tests and a liver biopsy that the vet won't risk on an old lady when there isnt much they could do anyway, and I'm inclined to agree.
Jezzy seems quite well and cheerful and active and eating and pooping like normal, she just seems a bit old and slow and grumpy sometimes like old ladies can be. And constantly leaking pee. Weight loss could be an indicator but she hasnt lost weight, probably the fluid build up and liver swelling are masking any weight loss? She's a bit bony round the shoulders and hips but no more so than Clover who is the same age and just has mild arthritis.
Her fur is a bit raggy and pee soaked but nothing too dramatic for a floofy haired oldie who never really bothered grooming herself properly even when she was younger!
If anyone has any experience of liver disease in oldies and what the timeline looks like I'd like to hear more, but the words "palliative" and the fact we didnt get billed for the ultrasound suggest things are a bit grim and my poor old floofy girl's card is marked...
 
I'm sorry I don't know about piggies but in humans the abdominal fluid build up can become very uncomfortable and can restrict breathing if severe. I'd be wondering whether it's a case of stepping in at some point if the vet can't do anything 😔
Hope you get someone who's got experience in piggies.
 
Black piggies said:
I'm sorry I don't know about piggies but in humans the abdominal fluid build up can become very uncomfortable and can restrict breathing if severe. I'd be wondering whether it's a case of stepping in at some point if the vet can't do anything 😔
Hope you get someone who's got experience in piggies.
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Thanks, yes that is what I thought too, probably sometime as things deteriorate the fluid build up will start to affect her appetite and breathing and will cause her some pain then it will be time to make the tough decision :(
For today though she is eating hay with her friends like nothing is wrong!
She has loxicom for now and the vet just said bring her back if anything changes...
When we brought her home 3 years ago she was really super-morbidly-obese after her previous owner fed her unlimited high fat muesli with seeds in and kept her in a hamster cage- her feet barely touched the floor she was so fat- I think that could perhaps be a factor, even though she slimmed down and toned up pretty fast on a proper diet, those junk food years must have had an impact on her liver :(
 
So sorry to hear about Jezzy Floof. You rescued her from a dire situation and she has only known love and care since then. You have given her the best life and she has had a wonderful life with her friends. She doesn't know she's now on Palliative care and will carry on doing bimbly piggy stuff until she can't do bimbly piggy stuff anymore.
 
Betsy said:
So sorry to hear about Jezzy Floof. You rescued her from a dire situation and she has only known love and care since then. You have given her the best life and she has had a wonderful life with her friends. She doesn't know she's now on Palliative care and will carry on doing bimbly piggy stuff until she can't do bimbly piggy stuff anymore.
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Thank you, yes she is completely unaware of anything wrong except that she grumbles a bit sometimes about being handled and the worst symptom so far is that her tummy wont quite fit through the haycube heart shape entrances any more!
She's a bit subdued after the shock shave-and-scan but she still ate a big piece of melon when she got home then ate all her dinner and waddled off to the hayroom afterwards, escorted by Clover and Theo who like to provide a piggy bodyguard service to anypig who has been to the vet just in case we try abduct them again!
 
Glad she's still enjoying her food and living her life. Goodness she wouldn't have lasted anywhere near as long, if she'd not gone to you, given how she was being kept.
 
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